Joseph henry potts



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JOSEPH HENRY POTTS, OF TORONTO ONTARIO, CANADA.-

WATER-CLOSET INDIICATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 355,099, dated December 28, 1886;

Application filed June 14, 1886. Serial No. 205,076. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH HENRY Porrs, of Toronto, in the Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada, have invented-certain new and useful Improvements in Water-Closet Indicators, of which the following is a full,

clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to indicators for water-closets, and has for its object the provision of a sliding sign, indicating from the outside simultaneously with the bolting of the door that the room is occupied, and the further provision of an aperture in the door, whereby communication can be held with persons-outside without opening the same.

It consists in an indicator having a suitable inscription thereon, adapted to slide between guides fastened to the upper inner face of the door and be actuated by the long arm of a lever, which lever is in turn operated through the medium of a connecting-rod by the sliding bolt of a door.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is an inside View of a door with my device attached unlocked, showing the central opening therein uncovered by the indicator. Fig. 2 is an outside view of the door closed and bolted, illustrating in dotted lines the position of the parts when the indicator covers the opening; and Fig. 3 is a vertical section through line a: x of Fig. 2.

attached thereto, is a recessed bracket, D,

made to receive the upper long arm of a lever, E, whereby motion is communicated to the said sliding indicator through the medium of a connecting-bar, F, pivoted at one end in the slotted end of the lower short arm of said lever E, which is itself pivoted to the door A below its center, while at the other end the said'connecting-bar F, by means of a slot cut in its end, forms an engagement with the knob of a sliding bolt, G, attached to the door in the customary manner. By the manipulation of this sliding bolt the movement of the indicator is controlled.

The disconnection of the connecting bar and the knob of the sliding bolt is prevented by a pin, 6, passing through the slotted end in said connecting-bar, whereby a yoke is formed around the knob.

,The operation of my invention is as follows: When the bolt is slid back and the door unlocked, the position of the parts is as shown in Fig. 1, the aperture a being entirely uncov-.

ered, indicating that no one is within. Upon closing ,the door and sliding the bolt to a locked position the knob carries with it the connecting-bar F, which, by means of its connection with the lower short arm of the lever E, causes the upper long arm thereof to engage the sides of the recessed bracket D upon the back of the indicator 0, and thereby slide the indicator to a position over the aperture a, bringing the word occupied, or any other that. may be used, directly over the aperture a, in full view of any persons upon the outside of the door, thus notifying them that an occupant is within.

The aperture 0 can be used as a means of 8 5 communication with persons upon the outside, thereby obviating the necessity of opening the door, as by sliding the bolt partially back enough space is found to enable a person inside to conveniently see and converse with those outside.

While my invention is more particularly adapted to use in water-closets, yet it can be utilized in other directions. For instance, in the oflice of a lawyer or doctor, where a door is locked for consultation, that fact may be communicatedto the visiting clients or patients without interruption to the parties engaged. 7

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a water-closet indicator, the combination, with the door A, provided with an upper central aperture, a, ways B B, arranged above and below said aperture, and stops b b atthe ends thereof, of the sliding indicator 0,

bearing an inscription upon its face indicatwhereby the said aperture is covered by the indicator simultaneously with looking the door, and uncovered when the door is unlockei, as set forth.

JOSEPH HENRY POTTS.

Witnesses:

J AMES N. MIDDLETON,

Equity Chambers, Toronto. FRED WOOD,

Law Clerk, Toronto. 

